


looking further than this

by spj



Category: K-pop, VIXX
Genre: College AU, M/M, Multi, actually just au like crazy, babies love them, different ages sorry, first time in fandom, so actually i dont know what im doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-10
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-04 03:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1763911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spj/pseuds/spj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyuk starts his first year of college. Naturally, things occur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so so so
> 
> this is my first time in fandom please be nice to me ^^ this grew from a conversation with a friend where i grew wings and spouted off about the beautiful one-sided love of hongbin and ken and she goes 'college!au awkward freshie leo with frat president n!' so this happened.
> 
> actually though so on a more serious note, there might be what's considered major ooc(?) i used to know these guys really well but it's been a little while. i don't really like to write RPF so i did some research but not a lot and im pretty sure i added and subtracted some siblings. i also only refer to them by their stage names, and for argument's sake let's just say they're all american-asian because that's what i am and know best. but yeah; maybe some ooc in there.

Overall, Hyuk is pretty pleased with how it turned out. Leo, his roommate, is a little standoff-ish but keeps to himself, and the rest of the guys on his hall are friendly as well. Hyuk hits it off right away with a guy a few doors down, Ravi, and for the remainder of orientation they drag each other places, occasionally towing the reluctant Leo along with them.

The transition to living with another human being, Hyuk thinks as classes begin, is not as bad as everyone had told him. He grew up with two older sisters, so any day he doesn't wake up with a mani-pedi and a closet full of lolita maid dresses is a good day. Plus, Leo tends to keep to himself. Hyuk is a little terrified of him, actually, because while Leo doesn't say anything besides the occasional yes or no to dinner, the glares he gives to Hyuk's dirty laundry and scattered Doritos could set his carefully styled hair on fire. Hyuk thinks maybe Leo is just shy and will slowly open up to him.

He tells Ravi this one day over dinner.

“I think we can do it,” he says, sitting down juggling three plates. “I think this is something we can do.”

Ravi is munching thoughtfully on a piece of asparagus. “Good luck,” he says, before swallowing and spearing another asparagus. He puts one end in his mouth and chews on it like a straw of wheat. “He is very quiet.”

Hyuk takes the moment to pity Ravi, who, although charismatic he is, is at loggerheads with his own roommate. “How's Brian?” he asks politely, even though he knows what the answer will be.

Ravi rolls his eyes. “It's been less than two weeks and he's already having sex _all the time_ ,” Ravi bitches good-naturedly around his asparagus. “And he's always using my shit! If he can't find his hairbrush, he uses mine. Can't find his shampoo? Uses mine. It was alright for a couple of weeks, but now? Dude, I think his girlfriend's more used to my lotion than his!”

“Have you told him to back off?” Hyuk asks, although they've had this conversation before.

Ravi shrugs. “Eh,” he says. “It's not really worth it.”

Ravi goes back to his asparagus, conversation closed, but Hyuk can see the rings under his eyes and knows Ravi is tired and not sleeping well.

So he does what he can. He goes down to the local CVS and buys black hair dye and a new shampoo and asks Ravi to monitor his roommate's shampoo usage. When it gets down to less than a quarter he puts his own, half-used shampoo into the bathroom and lets it sit there, become a part of the scenery. When it gets down close to rock bottom he grabs his black hair dye and texts Ravi to inform him when his roommate will be out of the room. _Never =3=_ , returns Ravi with no small amount of irony, but soon follows up with a _hes gone 4 dnnr w/ gf @ 7_.

When Hyuk leaves the room with the hair dye Leo glares and Hyuk swears the distance across the equator that Leo is judging him, but Hyuk leaves with the hair dye anyway. Leo glaring is nothing new.

At seven-fifteen, Hyuk knocks on Ravi's door (Leo having declined in the actual mischief-making) and when Ravi spots the black hair dye in his hands, his entire face lights up with a grin. “He's _blonde_ ,” he says, delighted. “This'll _devastate_ him.”

“He'll know it was you,” Hyuk warns. “Which is why we have to be careful about how we do this.”

Ravi looks to both sides before bundling Hyuk into the room. “Tell me more.”

So Hyuk explains the plan, how he left the half-used shampoo in the bathroom, how they'll squeeze out nearly the last drops of Brian's shampoo so when he takes it into the bathroom and finds he doesn't have any left, he'll use the shampoo left in the bathroom. “Which is the one we'll fill with dye, of course,” he says, nodding sagely.

Ravi is staring at Hyuk like he's never seen him before. “You're a _genius_ ,” he breathes, hurries over to nab Brian's shampoo so they can begin.

(Hyuk is gone for classes when it happens, but Ravi reliably informs him that his roommate screamed like a tit when he looked in the mirror and blamed absolutely everyone he crossed but didn't seem to have an idea of who would dare do such a thing.)

Hyuk feels fantastic. It's been four weeks, classes are fun and interesting, and he's found a friend in Ravi and a roommate in Leo.

But.

It's been four weeks and all Leo's done is glare, and Hyuk is starting to feel nervous. He's been tidier than he normally would be and constantly pays attention to Leo, asking him to lunch, dinner, and everything in-between.

“I don't want a roommate that _hates_ me,” Hyuk says when Ravi asks why he bothers.

Ravi just shrugs. “There's still some dye left,” he says, like that's supposed to help. Hyuk shoves him.

But Hyuk _is_ nervous, and that nervousness slowly becomes frustration as Leo refuses to tell Hyuk what's wrong. His room's turned into a frigid cage of mangst and the Fortress of Solitude, Hyuk reflects sourly. It's uncomfortable to even study in there because whenever he looks up Leo's just glaring at him.

(“I even _asked_ today, man!” Hyuk says, seething. “I _asked_ if he was _okay_ and he just _glared some more_ , oh, right, like _usual_.”)

Two more weeks pass and so do the first round of midterms, and as Leo declines another invitation to celebrate with a cold stare Hyuk is starting to get a little tired of being on the wrong end of Leo's ire all the time. Hyuk doesn't even know what he's done to make the guy mad, so it's not much of a surprise to anyone—alright, it's not much of a surprise to Ravi, because Hyuk—Hyuk is entirely blindsided by the ferocity of his own frustration and anger.

“Look, would it be _that fucking hard_ to _tell_ me what you're angry about instead of just _glaring at me all the time_?” Hyuk says, edging towards a shout. Ravi hangs by the doorway, looking unsure of whether he should stay half in or half out.

A flicker of something like surprise passes over Leo's face before he just glares harder.

“Oh, like this isn't my room too,” Hyuk scoffs. “Don't act like you own the place. You don't have to be so _fucking anal_ with a fucking baboon's communication skills!”

Hyuk's about to go on, but then Leo says very quietly: “Get out,” and Hyuk's startled into grabbing Ravi's arm and saying, “ _Fine._ I don't want to stay here with _you_ any more anyway.”

“I don't know what's his _problem_ ,” Hyuk seethes as they walk together to the dining halls. “His mood swings make Katy Perry look sane! And if there's an issue with _me_ he _won't fucking tell me what it is_! Jesus _fuck_ he's so hard to _deal with_.”

“Hey,” Ravi says for the first time that day. Hyuk stops walking to stare at him. “You're right, he does have communication issues, but—lemme. Lemme talk to him.”

So that night Hyuk lets Ravi into the room first (he's still steaming and doesn't think he could _deal_ ) and he hears them talk in low voices about things he can't decipher, and ten minutes later Ravi comes out and says, “So, uh. Just. Yeah. I'll see you later?” and rushes away as though he's embarrassed.

Hyuk walks in, still winded and confused, and he's about to just go to bed because he's so done with today when he hears Leo say, quietly, “Sorry.”

Hyuk is so surprised he whirls around and demands, too violently, “What?” before realizing what Leo just said and says, “I mean. Um. Sorry. What?”

“I don't hate you,” Leo explains.

Hyuk waits.

Leo blinks a few times before elaborating, “I don't want to talk, but you're not annoying me when you do.”

“Oh,” Hyuk says, and a rush of embarrassment floods him. “I'm really sorry for yelling at you, I didn't. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. I didn't tell you,” Leo says, and then goes back to his book.

Hyuk lies in bed that night, and thinks.

Ravi finds a text that says _die_ , and knows it went alright.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay this was totally more about hyuk than anything else haha, but n's been introduced! hope i did his bunny bunny style justice hahaha i didn't like this one as much as the first one :/

Hyuk's walking back from one of his classes when he sees Ravi walking with a guy he doesn't know. He's not sure if he should call out to Ravi because he's probably busy but Ravi sees him and waves him over so he trots over to see what’s up. “Hey,” he says, and waits, because this is entirely on Ravi.

“Hey, man,” Ravi says. “Hyuk, this is Hakyeon, but everyone just calls him N, like the letter. N, this is Hyuk. We knew each other in high school,” he tells Hyuk. “And I regret every day that I chose to go to the same school as him,” he adds, elbowing N in the side like they've been best friends since the first day of grade school.

Hyuk tries really hard not to be jealous of nothing but fails, so he resigns himself to concealing his negative emotions with a big smile. “Hey,” he says, and then can't think of anything else.

“Hi, Hyuk!” N says, and Hyuk is nearly bowled over with the force of his enthusiasm and goodwill. “You're a freshman, right?” he asks, and Hyuk nods. If possible, N beams wider. “You should join Sigma Theta Phi, then! I keep telling Ravi here he should join,”—(“And I keep saying no,” Ravi interrupts, rolling his eyes)—“but he's difficult so nevermind him. I'm the president; I can definitely put in a good word for you!”

“I, um.” Hyuk isn't sure what to do and looks over to Ravi for guidance, but Ravi's face is just one of fond annoyance and absolutely no help at all. “I'll think about it?” Hyuk eventually says, words coming out as more of a question than a statement, but N doesn't seem to mind.

“ _Awesome_ ,” N says. “Where do you live? Sanders? Or the Quad?”

“Sanders,” Hyuk answers by rote. “West, second floor.”

“I'll swing by with some of our fliers, then,” he says, and pats Hyuk on the back like it's a done deal. “I've actually got to run to class, but I'll see you around then?” He waves cheerfully, and then he's off, jogging towards the engineering building.

Beside him, Ravi sighs. “He's stupid,” he tells Hyuk, like he's sharing a big secret, “but a good guy.”

Unwilling to say anything about a guy he's known for literally about a minute, Hyuk offers, “He's energetic?”

Ravi laughs. “That too. You wanna grab some dinner, man?”

The low simmer of jealousy that never really went away loosens its grip on Hyuk's chest just a bit, and Hyuk figures this is something he'll need to learn too. “Yeah,” he says, and smiles.

**

It's two days later when N makes good on his promise. Hyuk is dutifully scrawling out lines for his writing homework and Leo is reading on his bed when they hear a knock on the door—just one, at first, and then three in quick succession, as if the knocker thought maybe he'd make his presence known but then couldn't hold in his excitement.

Hyuk and Leo glance at each other, and then Hyuk stands up to get the door.

N is grinning at them from the other side. “Hey, Hyuk,” he says cheerfully. He waves the fliers in his hand around, and Hyuk stands aside to let him in. “Oh!” he says, and then makes a beeline for Leo, who hasn't moved or looked up. “Are you Hyuk's roommate?”

Hyuk trails behind N. “Uh, yeah. Leo, this is... N.”

“Hi, Leo!” N says, tilting his head and waving, as though looking cute would help him get into Leo's good graces, which Hyuk knew for a fact would not. He gave N credit for trying, though.

Hyuk and Leo get on alright these days. Hyuk's still a little awkward but manages to word-vomit wherever necessary and Leo, Leo either ignores or listens to him but Hyuk's learned to interpret his glares as just blank stares and anything less severe than the usual is probably some form of amusement. So Hyuk finds N's efforts admirable, if a little perplexing.

Leo looks up at N. “Hi,” he says quietly, and returns to his book.

“You should rush for Sigma Theta Phi with Hyuk!” N says. “It'll be lots of fun!”

“No,” Leo says, without looking up from his book.

N pouts, and Hyuk is pretty sure Leo sees by the way he calmly turns another page. “But I brought fliers!” N says. “You wouldn't want me to have brought fliers all this way for nothing, would you?”

Leo turns another page.

“Aw, c'mon, don't be like that!”

Hyuk watches as the petite N jumps up and down, vying for Leo's attention, watches Leo pointedly ignore him even when N starts to poke and prod him.

Rolling his eyes, N turns to Hyuk and says, “Sour-cat,” but it sounds fond and Hyuk doesn't know how to respond. That doesn't matter though, because N continues, “I have to go, but convince him for me, okay? I'll see you both later!” And he bounces out of their room.

“Sorry,” Hyuk says as soon as their door swings shut. “Um.”

Leo shrugs, and Hyuk thinks that means he doesn't really mind.

**

It's not until that Friday that N returns.

Ravi's playing video games in Hyuk and Leo's room, having tossed his sheets into the washer with nothing better to do than wait. Hyuk is semi-studiously trudging through math homework and Leo is doing something on his computer when they hear the knocks. Four in quick succession this time, and then Hyuk's rising to get the door.

It's N, who this time just steps in like he belongs. “Hi, Hyuk! Hi, Leo! Ravi!”

Hyuk thinks dumbly that it's got to be unnatural to have that much energy at _any_ given point in time but manages to say, “Hi, N.”

“Go away,” Ravi says, without looking up.

“Raviiii,” N whines, and scuttles over to pinch Ravi's cheeks.

Ravi shoves him away as hard as he can but his eyes are curved up and his cheeks are puffed up with bottled laughter. Leo is smiling, too, when Hyuk looks over, and his eyes are focused on a point just above where the top of his screen ends.

“Leo, help me! Leo! Hyuk! Help!” N cries from behind Ravi's hand.

Leo very pointedly closes his laptop screen and picks up a book without blinking. Hyuk mentally juggles how much ire he's willing to stand from Ravi versus the ire he's willing to stand from N, and remembers that Ravi lives on his hall and if he wants to bleach all of Hyuk's posessions then he damn well can. “Sorry,” Hyuk says, shrugging weakly. “You did grab him first.”

“Traitor!” N calls, but he's laughing and Ravi is too. Hyuk watches Leo carefully but Leo doesn't look irritated. He almost looks amused, and this is probably the closest Hyuk has ever seen him come to smiling.

Hyuk tries hard not to feel jealous.

**

It doesn't work.

**

“I don't wanna sound whiny, but—”

“But you sound a bit whiny,” Minho finishes for him.

Hyuk glares, but Minho just stares back serenely through his computer screen. Hyuk sighs. He's known Minho since high school, and not once does Minho say something he doesn't to some degree mean. “I just,” Hyuk says, and doesn't know how to continue.

Minho's expression twists a little with pale amusement and some deeper shades of concern. “I mean you sound whiny, but only because you're worried about things that you don't have to be,” he explains. “You're really cool, Hyuk, and I don't see how these guys are thinking any differently. This Ravi guy sounds like he thinks you're awesome. I mean, he was waiting for his laundry in _your room_.”

“His roommate’s a douchebag so he's essentially homeless most of the time,” Hyuk says tiredly. “N was definitely there for Leo, and Leo.” Hyuk pauses. “No one really knows about Leo.”

“Hyuk,” Minho says, “it sounds like Leo actually does like you and isn't a pushover if he doesn't want to be. And Ravi hangs out with you a lot even though he knows N. And N might be there for Leo, but dude, if N doesn't like you as much then N doesn't like you as much. It doesn't mean you're worth less than Leo, it just means that N wasn't meant to be that close to you. No big deal. I'm more important than N, right?” Minho tilts his head at the camera and smiles.

Hyuk rolls his eyes.

“Hyuk,” a new voice says, and Minho's roommate, Key, shoves Minho aside and takes his place. “Hyukie, I hate to break this to you, but anyone who uses a letter to identify himself is _so_ not worth it.”

Hyuk laughs and says, “You might have a point on that one.”

Key scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Of course I do. And anyway, you look alright and that shirt isn't ugly. You have my support.”

“Thanks,” Hyuk says slowly, not sure how to feel about this new development, but then Minho pops back up and pushes Key away, laughing.

“Get your own chair,” he says, “you have one.”

Key sticks his tongue out at Minho and prances away, saying things about “Losers with no style” and “I like your friend better than you” and also "Hyukie, we have to go shopping together, not with this loser," and Minho turns to the screen with an apology already half-formed, but Hyuk is laughing. Laughing for real, since the first time he came to college, no anxiety or insecurities toting behind like shadows that grow from his feet. He takes this feeling and memorizes it, tucks it away in his back pocket, because he thinks that this. This is what he should look for.

 


End file.
